Tres Islas

Tres Islas is a small pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site 20 kilometres north of Cancuen in Petén Department, northern Guatemala [1]. The main feature of the site is a group of three Maya stelae and an altar [1]. Tres Islas is one of only a few Maya cities that erected dated monuments in the Early Classic period (c. AD 250 - 600) [1]. The early presence of the Emblem glyph that was later associated with the Late Classic Cancuen-Machaquila kingdom indicates that Tres Islas was the Early Classic capital of the kingdom [1]. Preliminary investigations in the area of Tres Islas and Cancuen revealed evidence of inhabitation from the Late Preclassic period (c.400 BC - 250 AD) through to the Late Classic (c.600-900 AD) [1]. The arrangement of the stelae and altar precisely mimics the orientation and relationships of the E-Group astronomical complex at Uaxactun, suggesting that the monument group served a similar purpose [1]. The siting of the stela-altar complex on the edge of an east-facing scarp offers a perfect location for observing the sunrise [1].